Kia will unveil two new hybrid concept versions of the Soul and the Cee’d at the Paris Motor Show. Both cars use the same drivertrain, with a 1.6-litre petrol engine backed up by a 20bhp motor.
Both are ‘mild hybrids’ that work on the same principle as Honda’s Civic IMA, the motor provides assistance to the engine, but the car cannon run on electrical power alone. They use Kia’s new ‘Idle Stop & Go’ stop-start technology and a part-time alternator to help trim CO2 emissions to 117g/km for the Soul and 114g/km for the Cee’d.
Although the Cee’d was built for testing by Kia on the continent, there are no plans to bring the firms hybrid technology to Europe. The firm’s first production hybrid will be based on an as yet unspecified large Korean-market saloon with an LPG-powered petrol engine.
However the company has confirmed that we will get a stop-start version of the Cee’d early next year. This will be equipped with a new 1.4-litre petrol engine which will cut CO2 emissions to 137g/km.
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